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Laid-Off Lyons Police Officers Speak Out

(CBS) — They lost their jobs last week when the near west suburb of Lyons took drastic measures to fight financial troubles.

Nearly one third of the police force was laid off. Some of those officers spoke to CBS 2’s Mike Parker in this original report.

Seven Lyons police officers were suddenly laid off last week and six of the seven, axed by the village because of a stalemate with their union, agreed to talk about what they face.

Nine year veteran Studlow said that he is, “worried about the future of my family. I have a daughter that’s going to be born next month.”

Nicholas Muller, a six-year-veteran, told Parker that, “We’ve donated countless hours, holidays, nights, weekend, you name it. We enjoy working for that town.

Jennifer Markowski had been a Lyons police officer for three years.

“Ultimately, providing for your family is your number one concern, but also scared over concerns for the residents of Lyons who are going to have seven less officers now.”

Seven fewer officers mean that out on the streets of Lyons, there will now be a total of 16 remaining uniformed personnel. That concerns the owner of this Lyons restaurant who relies on patrol cars watching over him as he closes up late at night.

“When I leave, they always flash the lights on me or they stop and wait for me to get in the car and leave, you know,” said restaurant owner Pete Klementzos.

“It’s a town we knew, people we know and a career we loved and that makes us all the more concerned for their safety and the officers who are left there,” said Markowski.

Muller added that, “We’re not there in force to stand side-by-side. There’s strength in numbers.”

The village manager turned down request by CBS 2 for an interview, replying, “real simple. I’m not going to comment.”